The tomatoes I WS'd the first week in March last year did as well as any plants I've started in the greenhouse or bought. I think they produced fruit about as early but can't remember dates for sure.

You don't get early tomatoes unless you grow early tomatoes. If you want fast croppers look for toms recommended as early season or for short growing seasons. Either type will produce fast for you...efinitely choose varieties under 75 days if you want hurry-up toms.

Can you recommend some tasty under-75 varieties, Trudi? As I say, I'm not really hot on cherry and grape tomatoes and most of the "hurry-up toms" seem to be those.

I grow the PR although it's not very early because I love them so. I did start them pretty late last year after some difficulty with my first batch of seedling, and they did OK. I wish I could remember what month they ripened.

And AP is the newest in my trials of paste-types for canning and freezing -- not as crucial for those to be around fast, they're mainly my ammunition for winter and spring when there are no tomatoes in the garden.

Kristin

First time WSer here, but I planted a few Box Car Willies (75 days) on 12/21. One seed has made it's way to the top of the soil and has one fuzzy root. Maybe it will be an early producer, or it's just a nutjob.

BCW is absolutely awesome.

Kristin, home grown tomatoes are quite delicious. There are all sorts of toms, many MANY to choose from. Please use the link below to browse through their selections...they do have an early section, but there are also early toms in the Colors as well.

T

Here is a link that might be useful: TGS

Ok here goes.. I stared my tomato's outdoors approximately late (Sunday the 2'nd week in Jan.) I drilled 4 holes in the bottom of the bottle, and cut the top of the bottle down to a 1/4 to 1/2 inch flap. I moistened the potting soil thouroughly out in the yard as to avoid a mess in the house...DH would go ballistic! I stirred the top of the soil with my popsickle stick marker, for the seed and then planted them 2 per bottle. I will have to look tomorrow hopefully. ( If I don't have to spend it in overtime at work... ) to see exactly what I planted.. Anyhow I they have all sprouted and are on their 3rd set of leaves right now. So winter sowing definitely works!!!! I would'nt have believed it unless I saw it with my own two eyes!! All the wonderful seeds I got were from Trudi ~ she definitely is an angel!! (Blessings to you Trudi you've converted another soul to your calling!!) I do know that some of the seeds were 'Stupice' as for the others well I have to go look at the marker's tomorrow.....Hope this helps in your case.. for me however, I'M A BELIEVER!!
'happy gardening'
Barb
bgrow_gardens

I was wondering about this as well. I'm going to try tomatoes and peppers for the first time in years (hopefully the current pack of dogs won't turn out to be 'mater lovers). I'm debating about starting some indoors at the same time just to compare harvest dates. Of course with the hounds it's possible I won't get a harvest at all regardless of sowing method.

Kristin,
Where did you find the Amish Paste Tomato seeds?
Tonya

Seedsavers.org.

Thanks Trudi, I've been growing tomatoes since I was a kid, first storebought plants then progressing to starting from seed indoors. I wasn't neccessarily looking for varieties that will give me the earliest crop possible (although I look forward to Stupice), just wondering whether I would have to wait substantially longer for my favorite varieties if I WS'd them.

A couple weeks ago, after reading that someone in 8 had sprouts this early, I tried an experiment: I coaxed the seeds to sprout, inside on the water heater, and then as soon as they sprouted set them out in jugs. They're dying off, though, so I guess it really was too early for them. This raises a question, though: what's to stop my WS'd tomatoes from sprouting in a brief warm spell and then croaking when the weather gets chilly again?

Kristin

Kristin

Hopefully the same reason that I am trying tomatoes and cactus (wish me luck with the cactus!) with WSing....the plants are hardier if they sprout outside!

My dog is a cherry tomato thief! She doesn't grab the big ones too often, but the cherries are her fave garden snack. Except for when the hardshell squash are ripe and those she can't resist. She LOVES acorn squash. Raw. She won't eat it cooked unless it's got syrup or brown sugar. The nicest thing about cherry toms is that when you have a dog who scarfs them, then at least the plants keep on cropping--you always have too many cherry toms anyway.

I am not in your zone, but I sure have the same question. And the odd thing is that no one ever really answers the WS tomato question. Everyone says it works and that you don't need to start them indoors, but I can't find any threads or posts where someone says specifically whether it takes longer to get early varieties (Stupice, Bloody Butcher, etc.) to set fruit.

Here is my theory: For my zone, the indoor seedling growing period is from April 1 to Mother's day, with the plant out date being between Mother's day and Memorial day, depending on the weather forecast. The question is whether or not the seedlings will perform as well in milk jugs outside as they would indoors under lights during this period.

This is generally a warmish time period, and the extra warmth inside the jugs may well give the seedlings what they need. In fact, tomatoes like cool temps, especially at night, and growing the seedlings in the jugs would be just like starting and growing them in a coldframe or unheated greenhouse.

I am going to try it of course, but I am going to be sorely disappointed if the whole tomato season is delayed because I WSed instead of setting up the lights on April first. I'll be sure to report back when I slice my first Stupice and/or Bloody Butcher.

Oh, and I forgot to add...
I am planning to sow them in single cells (small dixie cups or whatever), and them transplant them (very deeply) into larger cells after there are a few sets of leaves.

Tomatos benefit from that first transplant as you probably already know, and I will not want to skip this step. But I'll put them back into their jug and keep them outside for my Great Early Tomato WS Experiment.

Everyone says it works and that you don't need to start them indoors, but I can't find any threads or posts where someone says specifically whether it takes longer to get early varieties (Stupice, Bloody Butcher, etc.) to set fruit.

From my experience, the difference in early varieties is less than a couple of weeks compared with DTM dates of indoor started toms. This has been mentioned before. With WS we get the toms into the ground young and small--the root systems will stun you because of their size--the seedlings have fabulous roots.

Here is a link that might be useful: Trasnplanting WS Tomatoes

{{gwi:367820}}
QUACK!

Trudi,

Can tomato seedling prepared the way you show on the link survive a few nights of freezing temps below 32 degrees? Especially if covered with a soda or milk jug with lid on?

Thanks,
Michelle

Kristin,

I see in another tread that your WS toms have sprouted, and froze. Where are you in Z8 WA. I'm in Seattle and I covered my one nutjob BCW seed with a little bit of soil. But I still don't have any sprouts as of 4/15

I don't know nuttin' about z8 gardening, but "Stupice" is my all-time fave tomato. The first year I tried it we had an unusually warm March (everyone was mowing their yards by the 3rd week - unheard of!). I optimistically jumped the gun and planted out tomatoes in raised beds the 1st week of April, and of course it turned cold and rainy (30s-50s). After a month of daily rain (but luckily no hard freezes) the gardens were practically marshes and the tomatoes looked as if they should be on life support. The weather didn't even out until the second week of May, and I was on the verge of deep-sixing the tomatoes, but decided to wait.

Because of this I say don't give up on Stupice no matter how bad it looks - it's a warhorse and can rally when your weather turns! I did, eventually, end up pulling several of the Romas, beefsteaks (Mortage Lifter, I think), and all the Rutgers, which had completely rotted, but the Stupices produced the most perfect, beautiful tomatoes! I could go on & on about those things - I love'em.

(It's kinda weird that your dog eats raw acorn squash, Trudi.) :~O

Make sure to wintersow enough tomato seeds so that you have plenty of plants! My dog loves to eat them off the vine too! Besides the dog enjoying them, the squirrels like to take one bite out of the tomato and then leave it on the fence post like a trophy! If you've grown enough of them, then you'll also get to enjoy these mouth watering treats. Nothing is more delicious then a tomato sandwich fresh off the vine!

Winding bird netting around the cages does a great job of keeping squirrels and possums away from the tomatoes.

Another vote for Stupice from me. Last year was an awful tomato year; coldish, dreary, rainy... I got nary a tomato from Oregon Spring, Siberia and Black Krim, but Stupice just kept pumping them out.

Stupice, siberian and early girl are all early toms that perform well in short summer areas. They have been started indoor and went in unheated greenhouse- last few weeks temps were dropping pretty low during nights and they show no signs of distress.

(It's kinda weird that your dog eats raw acorn squash, Trudi.) :~O

I have a photo of her trying to drag off a large pink banana squash. She is a nutjob when it comes to winter squash, when I'm baking them she sits in the kitchen door staring at me and drueling.

That's so funny - I laughed when I read it. My dog loves her veggies, especially cucumbers, bell peppers, and tomatoes, but she's never "picked her own". I'm not sure she's ever made the connection regarding plants in the garden/cut-up vegetables. She does, however, enjoy napping in/on the squash & pumpkin vines!

I have not had luck with WS tomatoes. I left some jugs out and brought others in for cold snaps. The ones left out look horrible and barely alive. The other seedlings were brought in during freezes had to be potted up the other day.

I finally brought the other seedlings in too. I couldn't handle looking at the pitiful things. I also brought in the basil that was looking just as pathetic as the tomatoes. Since being in the house all are perking up to some degree so I don't know if they are losses yet or not. Time will tell.

I did plant one tomato in the ground and kept a soda bottle over it. It died after about the 3rd frost. I was very disappointed.

I don't know what I did wrong, if anything, for WSing tomatoes and basil. I am a WS convert/believer but I might just stick with what has worked in the past for me on this one.